Missing You
by Dancing Lunar Wolves
Summary: Nicholas Wilde never thought that he'd have to call in a missing mammal alert for his partner, Judy Hopps. As the desperate search for his dear friend ensues, what will he find in the shadows of Zootopia? How will his life be changed? Will he change the lives of others? Where has she gone? And, most of all, can he find her in time? Nobody imagined that a fox would miss a bunny.
1. Wish Hello Say Goodbye

Hey all, DLW here with a WildeHopps story... maybe? Tried to get this in before Christmas... I've been wanting to do this since about... August? FF categories will change over time to suit the current chapter/theme. More info at the bottom. And a huge thank you to all my readers follows, fav's I enjoy the feedback as much as writing the stories. Disclaimer: Zootopia and its characters are copyright Disney. (I own none of the characters in the story aside from the O/C's.).

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Wish Hello Say Goodbye

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" _ **Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss**_ **."**

― **Eric Roth** , **The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Screenplay**

Nick smiled victoriously as he held back a fit of laughter from his flustered rabbit partner. He dared not look her way, but his ears voluntarily picked up on the sound of her grumbling, "And you're _sure_ you didn't cheat?"

No longer able to hold back, he chuckled. Looking down at the narrow-eyed bunny he smiled brightly, he knew how to effectively pester her; teasing being a favourite past time of his and all, it was no wonder she looked ready to kick him.

He quickly placed a paw over his chest in a faux pledge of fealty. "Madam!" He reared back with gusto, she rolled her eyes. "May I remind you that I am carrying a badge of honour and all the responsibilities wherewith." Nick always loved to play it up when he could, and for whatever reason, Judy usually allowed him to make a scene of some kind. "I am not but a shimmering knight amidst a sea of tyranny."

The fox heard the bunny sigh, "Yet _I_ was burdened with getting the pizza. _In the cold_!" Though the tone of her voice was clearly annoyed, there was a hint of playful acceptance that he had come to love with their bantering. "Some chivalrous partner I have."

Snickering at her dilemma, he loomed over her; his emerald green eyes meeting her amethyst irises. "Not my fault you forgot to bring your jacket," he tutted while she scoffed. "I'm all warm and toasty." Adding insult to injury, he wrapped his paws around himself and his recently bought detective style dark overcoat; he had wanted one for a while, but only in the past few weeks had Judy convinced him ever so subtly that he should get one to go along with his copious noir monologuing. It still didn't stop him from being/acting (un)professional from time to time. "And I must say, what a cute bunny you are to aid a skulk of starving foxes." He added with a wink to the now red eared rabbit.

By this time - after having been her partner for a while - he knew what would be coming next, and sure enough he felt a playful jab at his side to which he comically stumbled forward, clutching his side to feign an injury while looking bleary-eyed at the doe.

It wasn't the first time that he had done something to cause her to hold back an attack on him, and it surely wouldn't be the last. He knew first paw how strong Judy was, and would always ensure that she got a laugh out of their time together as well.

Her nose scrunched up and paw still extended, she pointed at him and waved a finger. "First off, _don't_ call me cute. We've talked about that, Nick." Admittedly, Nick knew this but still shrugged. It was all in good fun to see what he could get away with. "Secondly, I think you had an ace up your sleeve, cause there was _no_ way you could have won half those hands." At her own accusation, she raised a brow as Nick continued to smile. "Or maybe a _joker_ in your case..."

While wearing that signature grin of his as he refused to give away any of his 'Nick Wilde Trade Secrets' - still not wanting Judy to know exactly if or how he rigged any of the games (to which he did... sometimes) - he held up his paw in a defensive manner. "Thirdly," he began, imitating the bunny's voice gleefully while she stared daggers at him. "the rules were: Losing paw has to buy pizza. _And_ since you were so graced with two, it was only fair to purchase that many."

Slowly, the doe released an exaggeratedly long sigh; her bright smile never faltered, though. It was all in good fun, and Nick was more than happy to have let her pick up pizzas for the two foxes so he wouldn't have had to do it himself. He did still owe the diminutive mammal a lot as far as tabs and favours go. Still, in his mind, the whole 'just see if I can get Judy to pay off part of it' worked fine as well. Even to that extent - her half of carrot pizza aside - the cricket and stuffed cheese portion for him and seafood style for Finnick really was delicious; though he still to this day couldn't figure out how they put away so much food being _smaller_ than him.

With her nudging him aside to move forward, Nick smirked and followed suit. They had been this way for some time now. Partners of the city's most prestigious police force - ZPD Precinct One - and friends for far longer. One always with something new and exciting to drag the other into and deepening the bonds of their friendship almost daily. They even spent most of their free time together; from casual sightseeing and events both in Zootopia and out, to meandering to any one of their favoured spots checker-boarded throughout grand city.

Today was no exception. They had been long since clocked out from work; the two - carrying their work bags from a long arduous day - now walking side by side in the cool of the evening, briskly paced down the damp and beaten path of the old and forgotten area. It had been a while since they come this way. Neither lived that close to the abandoned wharves; with Judy living between the outskirts of Downtown and the edge of Savannah Central because rent was affordable, and Nick at the edge of the Rainforest District for much of the same reason. Though, despite the distance from Precinct One to this particular spot, it was well worth the journey.

To them, this area was a place of both nostalgia - to where their friendship was mended - and of peace. It was the old haven that Nick used to call his own, long before Judy was in the picture; now it stood as a testament, a memorial to times long forgotten and close by. Though, for now, the grounds were abandoned. Not a mammal was in sight of the place - save for themselves - and even if there were the occasional few that ventured so far into their spot, they'd usually jog away, mindful of their own agendas. Rundown as it was, they found themselves loving the place more and more. From casual chats and strolls through what may be considered as a park, to more intimate times of stargazing and a shared meal, it was akin to their little sanctuary.

It was the perfect time for them to have been there today, though. The mid-spring chill bristled and caressed their dampened fur, though Judy was more grateful that it stopped raining than Nick as she had forgotten an umbrella or coat of some kind. The softened rustles of maple and willow trees welcomed them in an almost grove-like stretch of pathway. The sounds of crickets chirping brought peace of mind while the seasonal fireflies began to hover luminously around them. Though there were specks of city garbage strewn about, from the way the blooming flowers and sprouts of grass danced, it was nothing but blissful.

With the sun finally setting over the horizon it gave what remained of the skyline a reddish-orange tint that complemented the city's emanating blue hue. Even the first signs of stars twinkled brilliantly; this was one of Judy's favourite things about this specific area - the lessened light pollution that allowed them to see the heavens so much clearer - the fact that it that reminded her of Bunnyburrow more so than any other spot in the city aside from the Meadowlands.

The soft patter of their paws striking the ground brought Nick into deep thought. After they had left work and walked here - per his request - his mind had gone blank as to what to say and do. He had been mostly on auto-pilot with the general joke and follow-up to some new happening in the doe's busy life. Despite the numerous occasions that had come up like this, he had tried to make some gesture or let the rabbit know that, in some way or another, he felt... _strongly_ for her. There were a few times that - if only by sheer accident - he thought she understood what he was trying to say. Sadly, his words would never seem to flow and he would either choke up or play off some joke of some kind. He thought that ' _maybe going back to where it all started_ ' would help things along, but despite that, despite the time he spent with her - having known her now for the better part of two years - despite her being Judy Hopps - the rabbit with a contagious and bubbly personality - the fox still had his challenges. He wore many masks... so many masks built up and gleaned from over the years, some that he put on, and some that others put on him. Oftentimes, it was hard for him to decipher which was which, and who was who when he wore them.

Still, though, he wanted to say more, to tell her so much more. She was his best friend, even above the little Finnick fox, though he'd never say it to his face. What likely bothered him the most was that... he didn't know why she meant so much, or even why she cared so much to begin with. They were on even terms with what happened since the Nighthowler case. So in his mind, what could he possibly do to-

"So..." Her voice trailed over to him from just below his shoulder. He looked down to where she was skipping now, bag clutched tightly in her paws with a bright glimmer in her purple eyes. "When are we going to visit your mom again?"

Her voice made a part of his heart flutter. It's subtle sweet tone was like honey to his ears... though he was nearly transfixed by the question; he shuffled a step or two instead of the casual pace he meant to go. As many would have to stop and think about what to say when asked about their parents, Nick's approach - to which Judy herself deemed a _'trifecta of distractions'_ \- was to: play it cool, answer your own question, and don't let them see that anything got to you.

Then, the vulpine gave the answer only he could come up with, "I thought we were going back to the burrows for the uh... the Carrot Festival was it?"

From the moment he stated the event, he could _hear_ the indignation in her features.

"Carrot _Days_ Festival, Nick. _Carrot... Days_!" Judy corrected. He had been to the previous one with her family... and was promptly banned from returning... Judy too. Though, in retrospect, it _was_ kind of her fault? Some of his as well? Definitely not split down the middle. "Besides, there won't be another one of those until _June_!"

While Nick was looking forward to attempting to get back in the good graces of some of the townsfolk with nothing short of charm (with some begging and pleading) the way only a fox born with a silver spoon in his mouth could.

Either way, Nick shrugged and waved his paws at the name, "Carrot, Carro, same difference." He felt Judy step closer to him, he sidestepped off the beaten path before defensively placing his paws up. "Point is, your family still thought I was the best thing to come out of Zootopia, since Gazelle's new smash-hit... and every other song of hers that you persuaded them to listen to. I swear I saw a bunny mosh pit forming because of you."

From his remark, he could see Judy visibly cringe. Though it may be a small victory - smug grin forming at the corner of his mug - it was all his own.

Then he noticed Judy's facial expression change. Whereas she was aghast seconds before, she wore a bemused smile, almost as good as his. "You would swear in front of my family? Again?" His grin reversed itself into a daunting frown. "Y'know, even my _mom_?"

He licked his chops, remembering how badly it all went for him last time. "Still tasting the soap from that one."

Before he knew it, her mouth was twitching into a smile. Seconds later, she burst out giggling; he soon followed suit, chuckling at the memory. True, it was embarrassing for him to have had to endure, but at least it was all done in good humor. With fits of laughter drawing on, Judy was the first to recover, carefully wiping away a stray tear from her lavender eyes.

"And your family?" she asked between huffs.

The thing he knew about contagious - and bunny induced - laughter, was that it was hard to get rid of. It was even more apparent as Judy had such a cheerful personality. Though, the question at paw was such a 'Judy: _the rabbit that doesn't know when to quit_ ' kind of thing to repeat. Soon enough, though, the renard's laughter tapered into a series of nervous chuckles. He didn't know how to answer properly, so he kind of mulled it over hoping to buy time.

"You did call her, right?"

"Uh well, I thought about..."

It was at times like this that Nick found himself backed into a corner. Funny that Judy could do that to him on such short notice and in an open park.

"Then you haven't spoken to her yet. Have you?"

"Whaaat? Of course I-"

He had literally no time to defend himself as Judy jumped in his pathway. Finger pointed at his chest, the doe's ears were splayed behind her with a chastising (albeit dazzling) look in her eye. "The shame!" she yelled, placing a paw over her chest and softening her expression as well as her voice. "For an only kit not to talk to his poor, sweet, _lonely_ mother."

Now, his tail slightly curled in on him. As long as they'd been friends, he was the one with the more... subtle criminal intellect. He was better at interrogations any day. Judy, however, was the more of the brute force in the duo. Reckless and in your face, ready to hop to action when she got the chance. Yet, somehow, he seemed to be rubbing off on her; guilt tripping was kinda his thing.

For him, it was too cute. He had wondered how she managed to convince Bogo on several occasions to give them - usually her - some kind of leeway with a case or lessened punishment.

Unable to stare directly at the starry-eyed doe, Nick averted his eyes and crossed his arms. He literally couldn't look her in the eyes, it was too much for him, and he couldn't call her cute... for now. "You really know how to lay it on thick. Huh fluff?"

She gave a mischievous wink back at him, "Best actor on the force. Remember?"

"Ha!" Nick snickered at the comment, netting him a playful shove though he kept his ground. "I'd say Finnick's a better actor than you any day. He always makes you feel guilty by looking at him, and you _always_ fall for it. Funny that."

Watching her roll her eyes as she knew he was right, Nick sauntered on towards the single cobblestone bridge of the area. As many times as he could remember, they had come here to sightsee and reminisce about the times they had. Even though it wasn't the most... prestigious of all bridges - the rundown old thing had seen its golden days probably half a century ago - he enjoyed the solitary respite it brought with it. After a while, though, its face had become riddled with various graffiti, and small sprigs of grass had found purchase on its pathway. The decrepit relic seemed like it was the last place any mammal would want to go for a relaxing afternoon. It, however, was a very special place for Nick as the stone bridge was where Judy not only apologized to him, but he was truly assured that he had a friend in her.

Scraping his foot pads on the rough surface and hearing Judy trailing behind him, the fox thought about what to do. He _could_ try telling her how he felt, they were alone and that's when he was usually able to open up more about himself. Then again, even when they were alone he didn't always disclose everything about him. He wasn't an open book, not even to his own thoughts.

Sighing at the potential possibilities and endless scenarios branching off into even more endless pathways, the renard shook his head at each and promptly hopped up on the stone railing of the bridge. Sitting down with his legs dangling off the edge, he faced an old crumbling factory by the wayside that couldn't have been more telling of his situation. Chimney's buckled in and broken pieces fallen every which way, it was like his life for all to see: an empty building with faded walls and narrowed windows facing the sunset; yet very few even knew what could be made of it.

Before he could draw another breath in regards to the shambling building, he heard light footsteps and a heavy thud next to him. He was soon greeted by the smiling doe.

"Careful Nick." Judy cautioned. He had been leaning forward a little too much while lost in thought. "I don't think my acting career will fall _that_ badly compared to what you're doing." At her word, he leaned back and settled into a much more relaxed position (funny how her being there could do that to him), "And, I for one, wouldn't want an imbalanced diet of pawpsicles to send my _best_ partner to the hospital for a few days."

 _Only best partner, huh_? He half smirked at her comment. It wasn't that it was off-putting to what he wanted to say, but the smallest detail of the words held so much more meaning to them. He chuckled, though. If only to think of something to buy him time and get Judy's suspicions of his behavior back on track. She was the emotional one of the two after all.

"Ah correction." His mask being set back on, he reached over and tapped the side of her nose gently with his claw. "That's not imbalanced, I _only_ had three for breakfast this time."

It was a thing he had recently started doing. If not for the reaction of surprise when he had accidentally done so before, he would have thought Judy was violently upset. Now, however, it was a gesture to him of both playfulness and comfort. Still, it always ended up with his paw being swatted away like fleas.

Teasing aside and the two sitting in a deep and calming silence, Nick's mind began to wander. His thoughts traced back to the fateful day that they met by accident or profiling, to the case that they solved together and so much more. Deep breaths - likely picked up by her sensitive ears - he began to take as more fond memories passes by. He knew he shouldn't have any issues in talking to her, but there was still something there, something he couldn't yet define as to why he wanted to know how deep their relationship truly was. So, he pushed himself forward and choked back a deep and biting question.

"Hey, Carrots." He thought it was funny how the derogatory and demeaning term became one of ever enduring endearment and loyalty. Somewhere along their time together, he had become fond of that when teasing her or keeping her through rough times. Yet, in the moment he met her eyes - bedazzled with speckles of stars and a warm, yet caring expression - he all but dropped his forethought. "You, uh- you still want to go for detective licenses, right?"

It was a save, for now. It had been saves for a long while; but when her face lit up with excitement, he knew something had caught her attention.

She practically jumped up and squealed, "Absolutely, Nick!" The sight of her bright smile brought one out of his own. It took her a moment to calm down before she continued, "I mean, Sergeant is _still_ open, but..."

They had talked about it on and off for a while. Whereas Nick was more suited (per her word) for detective work, Judy was clearly more of a leader. The both of them having looked at the positions realized that, if they were to take up the ones that they truly wanted, they would no longer be partners at the ZPD, and instead would be taken to their respective departments as needed. So, since neither wanted that outcome, they agreed to pick one and stick with that.

"Well, once you and I both get clearance for it, of course. So I don't mind waiting a few more months." Finally sitting back down and mulling over the details, Judy was kicking her feet over the edge and babbling about. Nick didn't mind, though. "Although, knowing you..." her tone deepened and she eyed him quizzically. "You don't like a lot of desk work, even though there's a lot of benefits to consider."

While true that he wasn't partial to a lot of desk work and would constantly either doze off or find some sort of prank to play in their shared cubical space - none of which got him suspended, yet - he would still do it if nothing but to have the time to spend with her. Well... that and make paper airplanes to deliver odd, cryptic messages to his co-workers.

Funny that during the time that she was speaking, he had to add in his five cents. "You mean like a detective hat to go along with my coat and copious amounts of monologuing to the tiniest detail?" Hearing her giggle, he thought back to the one thing that he wanted most out of it all. "Ooh, maybe I'll even my get a shot at my own noir novel. Still need a sweet detective name, though."

It was something that he was semi-serious about. The idea of a fox as a crime _stopper_ was unheard of, they - he included until recently - were usually the nefarious crime _starters_ in most cases.

"There's that," Judy added with a few lazy chuckles. "then there's better pay, more experience, I could finally move out of the shoebox, maybe even afford a car, It was something else that he enjoyed about her, her ability to see so far ahead that most calendars predicted doomsday by then; he _knew_ she'd keep going just to spite them. "And - best yet - we could _still_ be partners!"

There it was again. She was always thinking about the both of them. Truthfully, he wanted her to have the dream job she always wanted, it was him holding her back from potentially being the ' _First Rabbit Lieutenant_ ' of the ZPD. It was little things like this that made him wonder how she felt; and, though he felt terrible about it, he could never find the strength to ask.

Not wanting to dwell on daunting thoughts, Nick did what Nick does best, avoid the elephant in the room at all costs, "Well if it's partners you're after, you and I _could_ be roommates if you wanted to afford something more... _luxurious_."

Judy reeled at the thought. "Nick, we both know your apartment leaks and is only one room... with no bed to speak of." She had been there plenty of times before and - even after exchanging spare key copies - to this day had no clue of what to think of the various fixtures and ' _stuff_ ' he had lying around. "I still have no idea how you even got a dresser that size to sleep in, let alone fit in the room."

"Finnick helped with that one," he deadpanned with a shrug before curling his muzzle up deviously. "We could... share a bunk dresser?"

"Uh, no." It was her turn to deadpan and give him a cute look of 'perish the thought'. "Besides, everything else looks like ' _bring your cub to work day_ ' at the weather wall and a kit got hold of the system. And I don't see why you have a collection of oversized socks that you never wear. Two... no... THREE ties, and half of a shirt with your pile of clothes."

He thought back to the detailed list knowing that she missed a few select things, one namely a second half shirt and a half pair of pants. Not that she would go near the thing as it was like a quarantine zone to her every time she came over.

"It's not that tall."

" _Pile_ of clothes, Nick! It's taller than you now."

Knowing he could stretch this, he huffed and turned his snout away from her while crossing his arms. "Scratch that then. You're officially dis-welcomed as my number one roomie candidate."

Even though he didn't see it, he knew she rolled her eyes. It was always... no... would always be like this with them. He was comfortable bantering and teasing her, something he never took to this extent with Finnick, his co-workers... well, truthfully anyone. She was the one mammal that could truly get to him.

When he heard her sigh and pat her feet against the wall, he drifted from one thought to the next. It always struck him as odd that, one moment they were enjoying their time laughing and joking as close friends, and then the next, they were quietly sitting next to each other and deep in thought about the other. She often told him about her dreams and hopes for the future. Him? He shared fragments of what he was thinking from time to time, but never had all the pieces at once. It was like a shattered mirror that started off as a broken shard to begin with.

Being in her quiet presence, he didn't even know how much time had passed, but the dying light in the sky and stars filling in the gaps told him that they should be heading back soon. He honestly didn't want to. He wanted more moments like this. More moments of them just watching stars. More moments that they were so close. He wanted nights like this to stretch on for eternity if they could.

A warm smile encroached on his muzzle as it had done so many times before when thinking of her. He never noticed that, even as he thought, his tail was slowly brushing against the stone and getting dangerously close to her. Thankfully, to save face and save him from an awkward conversation, he caught himself before it escalated that far. Instead, he darted his eyes around and thought of something to do, something to say, some way to make her head turn and-

-he remembered the warehouse...

While she was still yet staring up, oblivious - or so he hoped - to what he would do, he quickly thought of a plan of sorts. Not that it was truly a plan, but more so of his way of expressing something... It was the Nick Wilde ' _trifecta of distractions_ ' after all. First, though, he had to ensure that he had just what he needed with him; and with a simple check of his bag, he nodded inwardly. 'This should be fun.'

"Carrots?" he whispered, suddenly breaking her away from the sea of stars and peer straight into him. He immediately tensed, regretting to some degree what he was about to do. Nonetheless, he leaned forward to see around her and hiked a finger towards the pathway beyond them. "Have I ever shown you the inside of that abandoned warehouse?"

There was still some sunlight left over the bend, just enough for her to see what he was talking about. It was the building just down the road, a fallen wooden thing that she had seen so many times, but never took any interest in it.

"Can't say that you have." Her first impression was noncommittal at best, and hearing the fox shift around behind her back, she eyed the decrepit thing as she didn't know what to think of it. Nothing, that is, until her eyes widened at the prospect of potentially gaining more info about her partner's life.

Subtly, she tried to sweet talk her way into his little game of ' _guess what's in Nick's photo album_ '. "Why? Is that one of your old-"

*Thud*

Her attention diverted from the building to the spot where the fox was seconds ago as the question died in her throat. As always, her ears turned first to the source of the sound (she was a rabbit after all). To her surprise, he wasn't there. Not surprising, however, was the fact that he somehow managed to disappear altogether; it seemed to be a natural talent of his, to simply vanish out of view and off the face of the earth at a moment's notice. She had to admit that he was quite quiet and quick on his feet when he needed to be; still not faster than her at full speed on any given day, though.

"Nick?" Her voice was quiet and quaint with a hint of annoyance under her glee. She was happy that he was going to show her something new, but kind of upset that he always played these games, and metaphorically - though sometimes literally - danced around and dodged his own gimmicks at times.

Unable to find him at his spot on the bridge, Judy turned her head every which way. Not coming up with anything but trees and encroaching darkness, she scratched her head at where he may have gone to. "Okay, Slick. What's your game this time?"

The moment she heard even the slightest sound - a muffled word maybe to what her ears told her - she looked over the edge to see the russet silhouette of her partner on the ground. Huffing a " _dumb fox"_ at his little game, she picked up her bag and made her way down.

Judy never fully understood why he did this kind of thing but played along either way. The closer she got to where Nick lay, the easier it was to tell his features... The more she could tell his features, the more she thought something was wrong. It wasn't the fact that he was simply on the ground with his bag clutched at his side, splayed out and mouth agape. No. It was the small grunts and groans that he elicited while he seemed to be twitching in some manner unaccustomed to what she had seen him do before.

"NICK!?" Horror filled her eyes as she broke into a dash towards him, her bag abandoned at the base of the hill. "Are you okay?"

By the time she reached him, she found he had been blinking rapidly. Already not a good sign, her mind had gone over the worst scenarios: spinal injury, head trauma, broken bones. Falls were not always so easy to assess, less so when you don't know how they fell in the first place. He was laying on his chest, breathing heavily and kicking his legs lightly. With her police training and experience in first aid, she quickly went to work. The first thing she did was to flip him onto his back and elevate his head. Now, with her being a rabbit, it shouldn't be an easy task to move a fox almost twice her weight. The thing is, she was _not_ just any rabbit, and he was _not_ just any fox either. This was her partner, the one who had her back no matter what; her best friend on the clock and off.

Judy's paws quickly went to work, she had him rest on his back with his head resting on her lap. Her eyes never left him, but a slow panic ebbed at the corner of her mind. She had to call for help, but couldn't leave him to get her phone from her bag without potentially causing him harm. Looking for something to elevate his head with, she quickly grabbed his bag and gently rested his neck there. The moment she got up, she felt tears stinging at the corner of her eyes and a paw grasp at her side. She looked back down at him.

"Ngh... c-cute."

His whisper a silent testament to what she needed to do as she rushed to her bag and brought it next to him. "H-hang on," she called, paws in a fit of panic and her heart racing as she fumbled with the stupid bag's zipper. Why weren't things _ever_ easy when you panic?

A few more pained whines and twitches of his came by before her paws smoothed over her phone. "I-i'm here. I-i got you." she stuttered, kneeling next to him with her shaky paws trying to find the emergency contact button. Again, she was stopped by a paw coming into contact with hers.

"I-in-surance..."

She couldn't believe what she heard. "Don't worry about that! I'll cover what you can't!" How could he even think like that at a time like this? Through teary eyes, she thought that _maybe_ it was brain damage. "I'm not losing you over something stupid."

His paw went slack in her grip as his breaths became more even and less labored. She frantically went back to it.

"O-okay. Cause I'm _never_ giving this back." Nick said, propping himself up on his elbows and causing her jaw to go slack and eyes to flit with confusion. Ever so carefully, he got back onto his feet, dusted himself off, and twirled a familiar looking object in his paws. "How's _my_ acting." he added with a conceited wink.

Judy's paws froze just above the call button, having fully intended on using it in the past few seconds. Now, the fox stood before her - holding her carrot pen no less - with a smile that she wanted to tear at until he needed braces.

The tears that beaded in the corner of her eyes burned with rage now. "W-what?" She rose to her feet, paws clenched and teeth on the verge of chipping with how hard she ground them together. "When did you-" Her eyes lingered on the pen before tearing their way to the fox. No more than two huffs and his expression dropped; his paws raised defensively and he wore a sheepish grin... he knew what was coming.

Judy took a shaky stance and for a moment longer, simply stared at him. "Y-you," It didn't even take a second before she was right in front of him with a flurry of well-aimed punches just for him. "You _**JERK**_!"

Nick felt them all sting, but still, she held back. "Ow. Ow. Ow! Okay. OKAY!" Unlike her usual playful punches, these had a certain... intensity about them. He could feel a deep seated anger behind each blow and - for once - they actually stung. After a few, he managed to back away and rub his sore side. "I may need that ambulance yet."

The thing about Judy Hopps was that she didn't know when to quit. Nick could clearly still see the fire in her eyes at his little joke gone horribly wrong but refused to move near her lest he feel her fury once again. It took her a moment, huffing and trembling; but she turned heel and scoffed, picking up her bag to walk away.

Now knowing that he took things a little too far, Nick hurriedly grabbed his bag as well. He just wanted to tease her, but didn't expect to get that kind of result. He didn't always make the best decisions, and somehow or another it always came back to bite (or punch) him.

When he caught up to her - she had taken to a much more brisk pace to leave the wharves than he thought - he casually strode beside her. She was still fuming, but the blow seemed lessened from a few moments ago. Still, he had to try the Nick Wilde way to get her on board, "Oh come on, Carrots I'm fine, see."

He caught her narrow glance out of the corner of his eye. Her beautiful, and fiery lavender eyes just wishing to strangle him by proxy. Mistakes were made, but he knew how to fix them... maybe?

"Tell you what. Tomorrow, I'll make it up to you and buy us lunch from that cozy little hole in the wall you love near Hay Market."

He was going by assumption on this one for the most part. He assumed that: not only would they not be stuck in the precinct for the day, but that they'd _also_ be patrolling Savannah Central. It was a stretch and he knew it, but anything was better than seeing her upset at him for long.

"A kale and carrot salad with balsamic blueberry vinaigrette and a slice of parmesan pecan bread. I remember you liking that one, right?" Admittedly, even he liked that shack of a place they found by accident. Although more so catered to herbivores(prey) he enjoyed vegetarian dishes as well. "Oh! Cocoanut-mango cola included, of course." he quickly added, if for nothing else but to sweeten the deal.

The moment he said the order - because he knew the bunny's signs and appetite - her ears perked up and her nose twitched faintly. A faint ' _yes_ ' echoed throughout the confines of his mind. Then again, for whatever reason, she stopped.

They had reached the edges of the property and were on the outskirts of a more populated area. Streetlights were cutting themselves on by now as night-time was in full effect. The few mammals that casually strode by were either nocturnal to some nature, or heading home after a long and busy day.

It was a moment before Nick knew what was going to happen next; sure enough, the doe had turned to face him with her arms crossed and foot tapping in rapid succession. He had a method of dealing with this. "It's gonna take more than _that_ to- EEP!"

The fox who had been by her side up until now, had waited for her to turn and face him so that he could - in one swift motion - open his maw and quickly lick the at the top of her head. He passed it off as an accident before, surely she'd understand that-

"Nicholas...rrrr, WILDE!" Judy tensed with the sensation creeping up her spine. He left her with a cowlick(foxlick) that she was trying to desperately brush off.

The vulpine backed a step away, clutching his side as a fit of laughter swept across him. Her 'hair' stood on end and her expression was somewhere between ' _cutely enraged_ ' and ' _beautifully annoyed_ '. It was priceless, but didn't last long as the doe - cowlicked(foxlicked) fur back in place but still disheveled - approached him with the intent of a swift retribution.

However, he was fully prepared this time with something else in mind.

His paws fixed in a surrendered pose, he quickly shouted, "L!"

One paw about to jab at him - being the precinct's undefeated boxing champ - she stopped just as it was about to fly towards him. She knew she should have aimed for the hip this time.

With a confused and, albeit, incredulous stare, she raised a brow. "L?"

"Yep!" He drawled out the last letter and made a popping sound before he continued, "L - as in ' _Laverne_ '."

While true, that he did learn her name, her full name at that, he rarely ever used it. Carrots was more suited to her anyways; at least that was his opinion.

Her paws now finding their ways to her hips, Judy now (tried to) wore that same half-lidded expression he had been so used to for practically forever. She wanted to see where this would lead... if anywhere.

"-It's also for lapin, lavender," He leaned forward and tilted his head. " _lovely_..."

Her nose twitched and she felt a certain comfort in the way he spoke. He did this from time to time; where his teasing was not only in good fun - though there were times where she wanted to put him in a chokehold again - but it also revealed even the smallest sliver of what he wanted to reveal. Deep down, she wanted this to be one of those times.

"M.N.O.P."

In came her hope, and it hopped away before it ever got a chance to greet her. It was literally like her chances of getting a late breakfast back home with upwards of four hundred family members 'Farewell, brief hope'.

"P - is for ' _Piberius_ '."

Of course it was, she had known - rather, he had let her know - his full name not too long after they became partners.

"Such a letter also works with-"

Somewhat fed up with his mannerisms and feeling tired, she asked curtly with poise of her own, "Passé?"

He was taken aback by her rudeness; though he did deserve it. Oftentimes he was told about his wardrobe choice - or subsequent lack thereof - and how terrible it was. It wasn't his fault he liked Pawaii. Still, though, she was speaking to him again; and it was back to their usual banter, something he could dish out in his own way.

He crossed his arms. "Now you're just patronizing me."

She rolled her eyes, having a consonant fight wasn't something she was prepared for. "Pretentious, then?"

His eyes practically popped, and his heart pulsed a little more. Another thing that Nick loved about Judy was the fact that the bunny caught on quick. So, likewise, he met her with equal perseverance, "Punctual, patriotic," Each word made her sink a little more. He was definitely the wordsmith of the two. Then he pointed at himself. " _pulchritudinous_..."

No point in pretending that she'd win, she threw her hands up and sighed, "Well aren't you a walking pretentious thesaurus."

A glimmer of victory shone in his eyes. He'd still have the last word. " _Your_ walking pretentious thesaurus?"

Judy's face lit up and she chuckled. It wasn't the kind of boisterous laughter you'd find her having throughout their adventures. Something in it - even to his ears - sounded... nervous?

"Ha..." It was a fake laugh if he ever heard one. Then again, she had an odd smile before she replied, "Q."

Nick took a step forward. Either she was finally taking part in this game, or he had backed her into a corner. Whatever the outcome, he was still having the time of his life.

"I believe the term is: _haiku_." he corrected, just to test the waters and see which direction they flowed.

"No... I said Q."

Her tone was a little more frustrated than what he had originally planned for, still didn't stop him from pressing on, "Heh, smart thinking. Oooh, or are you saying it as in cu-"

Another thing that Nick couldn't quite figure out about Judy was how... unbelievably quick she was. In the time he took to try and finish the sentence, his muzzle was clasped by her smaller paws. Whereas he himself disappears without notice, the bunny just somehow shows up in the blink of an eye. At one point, he figured that it was probably due to the high amount of sugar she consumed from all the carrots she's eaten. Shame it didn't work for him as well.

"R.S.T." Judy, with his full attention, stared at him with a gentle smile that hid a certain strain to it. He was glad, however, that she was taking part in their little letter game. "R.S.T. - Stands for: Right, see ya tomorrow." The instant she said the last word, she released him and trekked on.

"You're cheating, fluff. You added a letter in there." Nick knew he couldn't keep pestering her for the night, so he instead did the one thing he could do for at least a little while; follow her to her bus stop.

This was a little routine of theirs anytime they came here. They would go to the same bus stop together and wait until Judy's bus came by. Sometimes, Nick would accompany her to her apartment and head towards his own, though it was out of the way. Usually, however, Nick would wait for his bus to pick him up and take him to his own shamble of ratty-tag suite.

It wasn't far from where they were, just a few blocks away from the wharves sat the nearest stop for the Greater Zootopian Transit System (GZTS). The stop was nothing impressive, a few simple benches with plexiglass surrounding their backs and sides. Thankfully - as per mandate of the city - there were different sitting areas for each mammal size; though that never stopped anyone from jerkishly pushing their way to another at their own risk. It was a fairly busy bus stop in a residential area, but for the time of night - where night shifts had already begun and morning shifts were hours away - there was not a mammal in sight. It was just them, the hum of passing vehicles and the stars to keep them company in the freedom that the night brought with it.

His tail brushed against the hardened concrete which was surprisingly patched for it being so close to a rundown part of town. Though, it was arguably uneven in most places. He _swore_ that his toes were on different heights for a moment as he stood. None of that mattered to him as much as those nagging thoughts that kept drawing themselves from the recesses of his mind. Most of all, how to ask Judy out, even once.

By this time, he looked down to his friend. His partner. His Carrot... only to find her clutching her bag tighter and shivering slightly. A brow raised at her stance - silently suffering at that - he thought of a way to cheer her up if nothing else. So, he did the one thing that came to his mind. He placed his bag down and carefully slid off his overcoat, it was one thing he was taught long ago: _always_ be a gentle-mammal.

Coat in paw, he approached her shivering form and, in one motion, surrounded her with both of his paws; swaddling her and causing her ears to stand on end. He felt her tense at the sudden contact, but she relaxed before he started trying to lift her up and face him.

"Aww. Does my Cawwot need a walk home?" the fox asked in a babyish tone. Had it not been for the sole streetlight there, he would have never seen the light tint of red under her cheeks and hidden behind her thick ' _stop patronizing me_ ' scowl. "I can wrap you up in my jacket and deliver you to your doorstep." He brought her closer, rocking her in his arms while her feet dangled off the ground.

She giggled in his grasp and wriggled herself to freedom. Nick had fully expected this, his intrusion of her personal space had been quick and effective. So by the time he released her, they could both hear the roar of a large engine headed its way towards them.

He looked at the schedule haphazardly posted on the wall and checked his cellphone as well.

7:00pm

It was right on time.

The doe clung to the oversized jacket, wrapping it around herself tightly and almost disappeared, snuggling it comfortably. "Thanks, but I'll take the bus." she said matter-of-factly as the vehicle stopped and opened for her. The driver, a rather tired looking badger nodded and waved any and all passengers on or off; though Judy would be the only one embarking. Nick chuckled as she hopped up, his coat clinging to her. "Oh, and by the way, I'm keeping this!"

His jaw dropped in faux surprise. He swung his arms across themselves and shivered. "Oh, you cruel bunny. Leaving a poor, _saint_ of a fox to freeze."

The giggling rabbit punched her metro ticket and waved back at him. "Good bye, Slick."

Before the doors closed, he mock-saluted her. "G'night Carrots."

* * *

It took Nick a little longer to get back to his apartment at the edge of the Rainforest District. He had to wait about fifteen minutes or so past the posted time, and the bus driver took no heed to the minimum speed limit. City or not, it should be barred to go slower than their joke-mobile for public transportation. By the time he reached his apartment - with no umbrella and his overcoat so chivalrously given to his dear friend - his fur was disheveled from the copious amounts of rain that came out of nowhere. He was surprised that there was that much rain at all, he didn't even live directly in the district! It was like some kit got ahold of the water system there and decided that Nick was an ant.

The sullen and oddly quiet building housed many residents, but he was the only one given such a special treatment. He wasn't the only fox in the building - much to his dismay - no. But he was the only fox that lived in the _basement_ of the building. Y'know, that place that's been renovated to look like an apartment despite the clear water pipes and boilers there? The pace where you never go during slasher flicks? That basement. Thankfully that lazy bear landlord of his wasn't there, he'd always complain about getting the floor wet.

He was halfway down the dimly lit hallway, passing by each door like they were due for execution when he was mere meters away from his residence. Also - by default, fate, or even karma - he was near his crazy neighbor's door. So, as quickly as he could muster, he paced down the hall with purpose. Within seconds he could see the entryway for the stairwell to get to his apartment, he could-

*Creak*

"Nicholas!"

-not have had any worse timing.

Try as he might, he wanted to ignore the almost sickening voice that called out to him (not that it was grotesque, but for the mammal that it belonged to...) That being a hard thing to do when the one addressing you is two feet away and standing _in front_ of you. He had to stop and put on a face, making a mental note to sigh behind closed doors.

Cringing from the inevitability of the conversation, Nick looked up and gave a bright and saccharine smile that hid his hostility towards his neighbor well.

Standing in his way, with one paw on her hip and the other blocking the stairwell to his home, was Daria. A vixen with black fur and white tipped highlights on her ears and tail. He hated whenever she stared at him with her piercing, icy blue eyes that spoke of a clearer intellect but contrasted her personality. A constant flirt and pain in his tail whenever she was around; which was only late night apparently, he never did figure out where she worked despite his suspicions. He was glad Judy never met her.

Her wide grin betrayed her intentions... or did they? "Off work finally?"

Nick had to hold back a sneer and possibly a growl at the tone of her voice. While sweet and like an aria usually, the undertones and her style of... dress told a different story.

Practically in a what one could describe as the least imaginative - and possibly circulation stifling - blood red sequin dress that one could possibly design, Nick could only look away. With gaudy bracelets on nearly every extremity, she was a sight that made his eyes more sore than staring at the sun in Sahara Square. He knew that this vixen breathed trouble, even from the day that he met her she was a constant annoyance despite him being a good neighbor.

He shrugged and casually strode over to her with hopes to get home asap. "Nope, about to start another shift. Imagine that." He knew his first excuse would never work on her, she was too stubborn for all the wrong reasons.

"Liar." He heard her mumble without ever flinching. A little more and he'd have to book her for harassing an officer, disturbing the peace, and... maybe smuggling? He never understood why the vixen had so much mascara and eyeshadow. She could wipe it off and pass some onto Gazelle's backup dancers, and then supply the _entire_ Nocturnal District for at least a month with the rest of it...

She shuffled a little, walking towards him, he clutched his soaked bag as a decent weapon.

"Well, since you're off now," From the moment she licked her chops and winked at him, he felt his stomach churn. "How about you and I go get a few... drinks?"

Even the idea of getting water with her was out of the question. She was pushy, always scantily clad, demanding, honestly dumb if she thought she had a chance, and the list just went on. He even had time to write it on a sheet of paper once, shame it got leaked on, though.

He knew he wouldn't get anywhere with this approach, she never listened. Then again... He was Nick Wilde...

He smiled back at her and shrugged, his demeanour never faltered. "Yeah, we can do that. In your dreams."

The renard heard a small growl escape the vixen, she never could handle his wits.

Then again, she never stopped, "How about we _share_ that dream," Placing a paw at her side, she swayed her hips. Despite never gaining his attention for the hundred and fifty-third time, she tried. "And a dance _maybe_?"

Her good paw out of the way, he moved a little closer, pulling out his phone and sighing. "Sure," If this was the only way for her to get out of his way, then he'd take the chance. "Lemme just write in a good time for this."

The look she gave him was priceless, she actually took a step back and clicked her teeth in what seemed to be... hunger? A meal that he'd not be taking part in.

To play along, he fidgeted with his phone. "Hmm... I'm pretty booked for a while so... how about..." He reached the stairwell, expertly maneuvering around her as she was still oblivious, "Never... Never's good for me. How about you?"

Stuffing the phone back where it belonged, he took a step down only to be pulled back by the scruff of his neck. He would have cuffed her for assault, but he didn't have cuffs at the ready. He would in half a second, though. It was something that he had picked up from Judy, her policy of ' _keep cuffs, keep your fluff_ ' or something like that.

Now facing the furious vixen, Nick raised a brow.

"When are you going to ditch that little grey rodent and ask out a beautiful vixen," A growl that he had been saving for later almost escaped his throat. How could she say something like that? And about Judy no less? "Such as myself?"

Absolutely annoying to a fault, he pried her paws off of him. They felt cold and prickly, even the simple contact filled him with disgust. With her this close and at night, if she wanted a scene, then he could make one as well. He always wanted to try this one.

He placed his paw on his hip and gestured with the other. "What kind of role-model are you setting for the _kids_?"

His raised voice startled her as if shaking her from some long sleep. Her look of utter shock and the sounds of feet shuffling down the hall gave him the edge.

"I-i don't have any kids..."

Her voice was meek, but he wasn't done yet. He leaned forward and spoke, "Not with _that_ attitude you won't."

The sounds in the hall grew louder, there were doors opening now. "I just haven't found the right todd, yet," She looked around nervously as if to find some foreign help or anchor to fasten herself to before hurricane Nick Wilde cast her out into the depths. "So how's 'bout it?"

She really didn't get the hint, did she? No, no she didn't

Pinching the bridge of his snout, Nick thought of one more tactic to shut her down before he just went home and shoed her away with a broom. His eyes widened.

"Wait," he scratched the underside of his chin in deep thought while darting his eyes to and fro. "I thought you had a boyfriend named..." Placing his paws at his temples he forged the name he was looking for. "What was it... Nowen?"

A sharp hike of breath? _Bingo_!

"Nowen..." the vixen whispered, looking at him and her paws. "Nowen?" she repeated. "Who's Nowen? I've never dated Nowen."

Victory already assured, he shrugged and padded down the stairs before shouting, "With _that_ level of grammar, _and_ lack of sympathy, I wouldn't expect you to."

Not waiting for the wrath to ensue - he fished out his keys long ago - he quickly entered his apartment and shut, locked, and dead-bolted the door behind him.

It wasn't a moment before he placed his bag down on the chair that he heard sharp rapping at the door.

"NICK!"

He chuckled, she did this to herself. "He's not here. Try next door."

With a growl and shouts of " _What are you looking at_?" storming away, Nick let loose an exhausted sigh. He was back home to his little slice of Zootopia. Leaky pipes, peeling paint, concrete walls ceiling and floor with fluorescent lighting. The small trophies and memorabilia that he had gathered in his time with Judy; it wasn't much, but it was home to him.

Before he even tried to do anything, he stripped his clothes and stepped into the bathroom to grab a towel he had hung to dry. Though short, his fur, when matted, was a whole mess to get untangled. One thing he liked about the bathroom that separated it from the rest of his apartment was the fact that it _never_ sprung a leak. Once satisfied and looking in the sole mirror/medicine cabinet combo he had, he ruffed out the last few patches and yawned deeply. It wasn't until then that he felt tired; funny how that worked. He stretched accordingly, creaking a few bones and earning a few snaps. Though there, yes, he wasn't that old... yet. Shaking out whatever stray beads of water he had left, he brushed his teeth and went over to grab a pair of trousers he had lying around; he found a bluish-green pair this time and donned them before heading to his fridge.

There was never much there, just what he needed for a day or two unless he was entertaining guests; all of which were Judy and Finnick. So, he wasn't that surprised to see that he had: half of an apple, his prized pack of salmon, water, and carrot juice. He wasn't really hungry, but a little snack never hurt. Besides, he had things to do. Grabbing the apple in one paw and the pack of salmon in the other, he made his way to the counter to find whatever space was left available.

He bit into the apple(half), promptly gagged, and figured it had gone bad. Shaking his head he discarded it into the garbage and popped open the salmon box.

Dumping the contents onto the counter-space, he smiled warmly. The notebook well kept and hidden inside greeted him again. Remembering the pen he 'borrowed' earlier, he went to his work bag to pluck it from its contents. He also noticed his phone lighting up from there.

Taking it out and turning the screen on, it read:

April 23 8:22pm

 _1 missed call and 1 new message._

' _Must've gotten back_.' he thought, unlocking the phone and sitting shuffling to the notebook. It was another thing he always did whenever they parted ways; call the other when they got back home. He flipped it open and found that, sure enough, the missed call was from Judy a few minutes ago. He dialed her back.

*Ring*

He flipped the book to a page he set out for the day in-between the dial tones.

*Ring*

' _Hello, you've reached the voicemail box of... Judy Hopps!... Please leave a message after the tone_.'

*Beep*

He shook his head, _And too tired to talk to good ol' Saint Nick_.

"Hey Carrots, I know your cute cottontail's asleep by now. No need to worry about you goin' nocturnal on us... yet." he snickered at this. Despite his nocturnal status, she could out do him in any stakeout. "Anywho, see ya in the morning, bright and early. Remember, it's _your_ turn to buy the coffee." It was his turn...

He ended the message and went to see who the message was from. A few clicks later, his smug grin faltered... it was Finnick. He had sent him a text.

 _Finyata  
_ _You tell her yet?_

He had no choice but to tell him what truly happened at the park. He quickly typed down.

 _Nick  
_ _Absolutely_

It wasn't even a second before the response came back.

 _Fin_ ñata _  
_ _Liar!_

His muzzle scrunched at this. He knew that Finnick knew the truth. He just... didn't know what to say or do, so he began typing: I would never-

The buzz of his phone cut him off.

 _Fin_ ñata _  
_ _Let's do nachos next time._

Fair enough.

 _Fin_ ñata _  
_ _And stop puttin' my contact down as_ _Fin_ ñata _!_

There was only one mammal that knew his use of that Nickname. A certain sleeping carrot that would certainly be getting a stern talking to in light of her recent behaviour.

Setting the phone aside and plugging it up for the night, Nick took straightway to the notebook. It was his journal, his slice of life and constant way of keeping up with new goals and old accomplishments. Today was no different, for in every page was brought to life some event or sentence, sometimes a drawing or two of what took place.

With a fresh page, he began, ' _I took her carrot pen today and got her good side. Traded my favorite jacket for it, though. I'll get it back someday. Still can't tell her, but I will... soon... tomorrow? Definitely soon._ ' He finished scrawling a few words in his neatened script and finished the entry by drawing his ideal detective hat.

After he placed it back into its well-hidden spot, he strolled over to his bed, the chest of drawers, and hopped right in. He had put the carrot pen back into his work bag that he laid out to dry overnight. His alarm set and sleep beginning to gnaw at his mind he yawned one last time.

As he lay there, comfortable and content, a smug and pleasantly warm smile swept across his muzzle. He truly did enjoy the day with her, he'd tell her how he felt soon. _Sleep well, Carrots. Still not giving back the pen, though_.

In the next few minutes, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Don't miss that chance, that opportunity to make a difference in your life or that of someone else.

* * *

I hope you've all had a very Merry Christmas and will have a fun and exciting newyear. Stay safe, and stay warm!

Hello there, you've reached the end notes! And so it begins. Missing you is a story about love and hate, lost and found. Lessons will be learned, friends will be made lives will be changed... This is a story that will have something for (hopefully) everyone with what's planned, so stay tuned, and enjoy Expect tons of eastereggs, references, yadayadayada, tell me if you spot them!

Predation, will be released within the next few days!

And I hope you get a chance to read this and the other stories at your leisure. All can be found here as well:

fanfiction:  
~dancinglunarwolves

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If you liked this story and have time please post a review, and if you would like to keep up with the story please fav or follow. Questions, comments, concerns, feel free to message me about anything. If you'd like updates, please check the profile page and or message me.

Till Next Time  
 **-DLW**


	2. Imperfect Attendance

Imperfect Attendance

* * *

 _ **"It has been the privilege and the honor of my life to know you."**_  
 **— Cassandra Clare (Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3))**

Somewhere within the hazy, lazy, and unrestrained bliss of sleep, Nick felt a cooling - and yet somehow irritating - sensation assault his muzzle. His lips curled into a twitchy smile as the chill set in. Though to some it would be a strange mystery or untoward feeling to make them reel, the fox simply shook off the little droplets of water and rolled over in his makeshift bed; he wouldn't let simple liquid get to him.

Breathing deeply and drying the rest of his dampened fur on his pillow, Nick curled his body ever closer. This was his time to think, to rest, to plan. It had always been one of his favourite times to where he could imagine anything while dangerously on the cusp of falling into the endless sea of dreams; a risky gamble to those who had work in the early hours of the morning.

Still, it was so quiet, so peaceful, so-

*~ _THIS WOMAN IS MY DESTINY!~*_

"AAAAHHHHH!"

-immediately nerve-wracking and heart-stopping at the blare of loud music above his ears.

*~ _SHUT UP AND DANCE WITH ME!~*_

Nearly biting his tongue from the shrill shriek and sudden fall, the fox scrambled to find that infernal device to shut it off. He fought against the nipping cold the moment he found the exit to the maze of blankets he had wrapped himself into. Limbs flailing and brushing against the dresser, he hopped up to the opened drawer and reached up towards his phone.

Just before it could play another verse of the song turned alarm, he tapped it off and slumped back into his bedding.

Nick took a few heavy breaths, nearly feeling his heart wanting to escape from the literal jumpscare that was _supposed_ to be his wakeup call. His tail idly swished and rustled what little leftovers of a bedsheet he had while he stared at the dimming light of his phone screen illuminating his pillow. The moment it turned off and left him in the silent domain of his abode, he felt a little more relaxed.

There was enough of a dim lighting overhead that allowed him to see everything with his night-vision. He never left it pitch-black. The pile of clothes hadn't moved - he was up to three half-shirts now - every wall had peeling paint, and the old pipes that intruded his space were still glossily coated with moisture. Familiar surroundings were relaxing and all, but he needed to take a moment to gather his thoughts; being on the verge of heart palpitations did strange things to one's psyche. Inhaling the scent of his own somewhat clean and haphazard abode, the fox groggily smiled... until, inevitably, another droplet of water fell and tingled his nose.

Annoyed, he scrunched his snout and climbed down from his bed, the dampened concrete floor meeting his footpads. With the light splash that he made, he looked up and was welcomed by a few more drops that he grievously shielded himself from. Nick didn't need to assess what was going on, he already knew: it was yet another leaky pipe he'd have to fix.

 _Ugh... this place is falling apart._

Taking his phone with him and moving onto a dry patch of flooring, Nick yawned and stretched. His fur ruffled and his bones popped just enough for him to feel a little less sleepy, but not fully awake. Scratching his itchy ears and shoulders, the fox ambled over to his kitchen counter to think and get his first cup of coffee for the day; or night maybe? Did he have time?

Realizing he didn't check what time it was, he switched his phone back on. Looking at the lock screen he noticed two things. First, he saw that it was 6:53 AM. He didn't have time for that first cup if he expected to make it to the 8 AM roll call. And from the way Bogo dealt with tardy officers, he didn't want to be even one second late.

The second thing he saw made his brow furrow. Suspicious, he opened his phone and clicked through the menu to see that he, in fact, had yet _another_ alarm set to go off in the next minute - four actually.

Turning them off one by one, Nick's thoughts began to piece together what had happened with the obvious culprit. _When did she get her paws on my phone to do that?!_ Staring at the cleared schedule, the events of the day came back to him. He had gotten off work, gone to Fin's with Judy let her order pizza on his phone. _Wait..._

As if the epiphany train had just struck him full speed, he chuckled. She had hustled him awake just to get him back. "Sly bunny."

Taking a deep breath and settling on slowly getting himself together for work, Nick made his way over to the couch. The duffle bag he had sat there the night before was a little damper than he had hoped, but he chalked that up to yet _another_ leaky pipe.

Such a shame it was, that no matter how many rolls of duct tape he had, the amount of gum he used, or the plethora of buckets he bought, he couldn't fix it all; not even when Judy had assisted him before. Shrugging, he unzipped the bag and inspected what he had.

His ZPD issued tranq gun greeted him alongside Judy's carrot pen. A few sticks of gum lay strewn about next to his dress blues. The uniform itself was only slightly damp, the ruffled fibers were cool to the touch while a little misty moisture shimmered across his badge.

He hadn't taken the badge off his shirt, of course. Not that he had forgotten to do so, but Nick only ever removed it when his uniform needed maintenance like washing. And try as he might to place it anywhere else in his apartment, he never could, and likely never would.

His paw smoothed over the bronze symbol in reverence, this was an almost daily routine for him since the day he received his badge. It was one of the - if not _the_ pinnacle - proudest moments of his life. When Judy had presented him with his medal of honour, he had felt reborn. The brass pinned over his beating heart shone as brightly as his fellow officers.

He was finally welcomed, finally appreciated.

That memory - every time he even so much as looked at his badge - brought that feeling back.

When he took his paw away from the shield and looked all around him, that was exactly what he had surrounded himself by: solemn memories. There wasn't a thing in his little slice of heaven (aside from the leaks) that he didn't cherish.

The old electric coffee pot that was still on the fritz, a little wicker basket he kept his keys in on the counter, several dozen old light bulbs that wouldn't work, twice as many coffee mugs on the shelves, two Christmas ornaments he kept magnetized to the top part of his fridge, his trophy...

He had to laugh a little, "Heh, pity trophy."

Every time he walked down memory lane, he thought more and more about Judy and how her life was so prevalent in his. No matter what he did, or where he went, some part of her was there in some way. She had truly touched his life in unimaginable ways since the day he met her.

It warmed his heart so, but he knew... he _knew_ that he couldn't ever truly repay her, and that thought bothered him to no end. His perpetual debt to her was as crushing as it was uplifting. He _wanted_ to do more for her each day, and his first step was to be there by her side first thing in the morning.

Silently thankful that he would see his bouncy bunny buddy soon, he grabbed his stored iron to get the wrinkles out of his uniform. As Judy never had a single missed crease in her dress blues since she started, neither would he. It would be a dishonor to both her and others should he so carelessly do so.

While he waited for the iron to heat, he quickly dashed into the bathroom to brush his teeth and his fur. His shower wasn't working too well these days, but at least the bathroom was always leak-free. To remedy that, he found the showers at work to be rather comforting. Social, and a bit of a hassle, yes, but the industrial fur dryers were far better than the little paw held thing he had. Plus there was the added benefit of free soap.

By the time Nick had finished rinsing out his canid-brand toothpaste and getting that one stubborn patch of fur smoothed out on his bushy tail, he could smell the searing, stifling heat of the hot iron just a few feet away.

He sighed and thought about how much he hated the thing. As much as he loved having the old memory, the thing itself was a hassle to use. It took too long to heat, took forever to cool, reeked of rusty copper, and was held together by more tape than any pipe he had overhead. Still, it _used_ to be great to heat his sandwiches on before he got his panini press.

Carefully using it and starting on his shirt, he tapped his hind paws and whistled the tune of his wakeup call. A few wrinkles smoothed out in earnest (the iron's left side was somehow hotter) he grabbed his phone and opened it, hovering his thumb over Judy's contact.

Last night's stroll through the wharves weighed heavily on his mind. It wasn't anything new that they did, but being that close to her drove him... _wild._ Whether just chatting or feigning his injury, Judy was there; ever alert and concerned about him in unfathomable ways.

Not only that, but before their walk, poker night had been a blast. He won, of course, though it was full of lighthearted banter and constant teasings back and forth. It went on so much so that they even joked off of each other's current hands. She said that, even with Fin around, that they made a good pair. He answered her two tens and a jack by stating that he would hold her paw and raise her a full house.

Ironically, that was the only time he didn't cheat, and it was also the only time that the van was spent in complete silence; drunk Fennec fox and all. They shared a laugh and the last slice of pizza afterward.

So now, if only to hear her voice and tease her a little before work, he pressed the call button. However, unlike when he usually called her that early in the morning, it went straight to voicemail. It didn't stop his grin from forming. "Hey, Carrots. It's your favorite mammal in the whole wide world. Just wondering why you didn't give me a ring when it's so late?"

He didn't want to mention his mishap with the alarm. Giving Judy leverage over him to brag about at work wasn't something that he could currently live with. His failure to beat her in a boxing match, yes. Being pranked by the bunny? No! _Absolutely_ not.

"You know I'm still adjusting to early mornings and your poor partner needs a little help every now and again." he chided. It had been just over a year since he joined the ZPD and he was more than capable of getting up on time than he let on.

"Anywho, don't forget: coffee's on you today, Carrots. And I, for one, am really thinking Pandera's. I can split a cinnamon roll 60/40." The coffee was supposed to be on him, he knew, but hung up anyways.

Finished with his uniform by the time he had done his bunny teasings for the morning, Nick quickly donned it. He'd never felt so good in the morning, not even coffee had that effect on him. Being in his dress blues wasn't a chore for him, not even a job. It was, in his own words, "His little slice of the pack."

It never got old.

As he looped the final button and settled his tie, he took one last gaze at his trophies, his life with her and smiled. _Time to make the world a better place._

He grabbed his bag, turned off the iron and plucked his keys out of the basket. And like so many days before, he eagerly made his way to work.

* * *

' _Hello, you've reached the voicemail box of... Judy Hopps!... Please leave a message after the tone._ '

Nick smirked a little, but also grimaced. Her squeaky, jubilant voice was enough to make his heart flutter every day, however…

 _Again, straight to voicemail? She can't still be asleep, right?_

He carefully padded his way down the street, now only a few blocks away from work. It was chilly for this time in spring, but the slowly rising sun helped him stave off the cold shadows cast upon the dampened sidewalk.

As per his route, he generally took the bus there; the same Greywolf shuttle provided by the GZTS. Thankfully, that grumpy overnight badger driver had been replaced by the rather chipper morning shift addax. It was always a pleasure to see her and how she greeted others despite the long hours.

She drove smoother, had the most interesting stories about her schedules and the mammals that boarded or disembarked, and somehow managed to know most of her passengers by name.

When Nick got off just a little ways away from the precinct, she even bid him, rather 'Officer Wilde', a fantastic afternoon. It didn't surprise him that she knew who he was, first fox of the ZPD and all. But to hear others say it was heartwarming nonetheless.

Yet, as good of a feeling it was, Nick couldn't stop staring at the picture on his phone and raising a brow in frustration. He was so focused that he nearly tripped over a well-placed pebble - moreso of a decoration than anything outside of Clawson's Bakery - that just so happened to be right where his footpad decided it wanted to set itself.

Stumbling a little before catching his balance, the fox hobbled slightly. It was the kind of small hop that he had seen Judy take when she clipped a corner too quickly and stubbed her toe against a wall; he walked it off as he heard the beep on the line.

Sure, he had made Judy upset before, livid even, but this was something new. She never _completely_ ignored his calls or didn't attempt to call him for the morning shift. Whether teasing her or pulling some stunt at the office - Christmas especially, he thought she was gonna blow a fuse and shut down the city with her; Wolfard almost did - she always, like today, managed to get him back for his childlike antics in the most interesting way.

She even showed up at the foot of his bed once or twice, in her dress blues and already grabbing his ankle to yank him out of sleep with a smile. How Judy managed to be awake and functioning at that time was nothing short of a mystery. And not only that, but to cross town, and be _that_ cheerful when she lived a little over half an hour away?

 _Super bunny indeed_ , Nick thought with a warm smile.

Beyond upset? Very likely. However-

"Very well, Carrots," Nick said into his phone, a smug grin forming on his muzzle. "Since you won't return my call, how about a little snippet from my eventual detective novel?" he began, mimicking the voice of those old radio mystery noir shows he listened to when he was just a kit.

"The spring downpour continued, every drop of rain seeming to focus on the broken glass pane that separated the world from the derelict apartment behind it. With the flash of lightning illuminating the chalky outline on the floor, the handsome fox's _trenchcoat_ shielded it from the blast of wind that came with a thunderous roar; his hat tipping on cue," Emphasising the word, he hoped she would pick up on the fact that she practically stole his coat the night before. He needed it to be a detective.

"He tapped his pen to his cheek and looked over to his bunny partner to pass off ideas. He knew that she'd answer within seconds because that's what friends do: answer the call."

He concluded his little broadcast with a curt, nearly journalistic farewell to his audience before hanging up. _If that doesn't get her attention, then nothing will,_ thought the fox, already beaming about her inquiries on how the case was solved.

Silently, he hoped that no butler was involved, he was _not_ going to write a cliche.

His mind wandered back to their little venture into risky territory on a previous case. Back when he tried to… how did he put it? "Verbally conjugate their tandem precise actions while querying and staking those ostensible of the case?"

She had given him a ruffled look as all he did was narrate their work and 'undercover attire' over the radio to fluster her while they made an arrest. And, at the end of that excursion, he was relaxed, she was relieved, the police station was somehow baffled, and Bogo gave them parking duty for a month.

Though to this day, Nick swore he did nothing wrong; evidence and eyewitnesses or not. _It's not like I had any choice but to improvise the whole thing._

Coming to the busy intersection that separated the ZPD from the rest of the city, Nick pressed the button for the crosswalk and idled himself. He could see a few of his fellow officers coming into or leaving the building for their shift change. Those that had slumped shoulders and lighting their hard-earned cigarettes waved to those who still had bright, morning smiles on.

His tail curled at the thought of those days.

Soon, the blur of cars stopped, allowing him to pass by with an ever-growing herd of mammals all about him. As they all followed suit to cross, Nick pulled out his phone again. It was 7:48. He had a little time left, much to his relief.

But where was Judy? _Is she really that upset about the game? Or is she mad about the fake fall? Both?_

It hadn't been five minutes since he last called her again, so he redialed her number. It went to voicemail.

"Heya, Carrots," Nick wanted to sound a more excited, but he came to the conclusion that this was his fault. So in dodging the quills of a porcupine and nearly bumping into the worst side of a skunk, he apologized, "Look, if this is about poker night, then I'm sorry about Finnick. He always cheats when he's drunk." He stepped on the curb and could hear her chewing him out for the game, she wouldn't buy it. "Okay! And I... may have brought a few spare cards. Still, thank you for being such a good sport and volunteering to pay for the pizza... and pick it up... in the cold... and for not sending me to the hospital after my performance."

Ending his twelfth message with a snap to his teeth, he climbed the step and headed in. With the mid-morning sun reflecting off of the window panes, he had to shield his eyes lest he be blinded again. Judy had once said that he deserved a taste of justice. He couldn't see her in order to disagree.

The second he entered, the atmosphere changed in unimaginable ways. It was even a little warmer as the temperature was typically regulated to an un-Bogo like setting - he kept it at 50, but it felt like it was 60 or so.

Various mammals in blue were hustling and bustling about with papers and cups of coffee balanced in either paw or hoof. Several citizens, prey and predator, were being escorted around, some in pawcuffs, some in tears, others in both. The constant aroma of freshly brewed coffee and sugary pastries filled the air. And much like the prestigious precinct he had come to love, the floor was was spotless; his reflection was clear with every step.

Nick adjusted his bag and made his way to the reception desk, nimbly dodging a few fellow officers while bidding them hello. He was glad that, over time, they had come to recognize that a few small mammals did exist and they needed to watch out for them as well. If not for that mammal's safety, then for their own as Judy would surely scold them for the number of times she was nearly stepped on. Grizzoli hadn't been more terrified in his life.

Per usual, Nick was met with the friendly, cheerful and cereal munching officer in his most comfortable setting. Clawhauser bobbed his head to some music, likely Gazelle, while shoveling spoonful of his favoured Lucky Chomps down like they were going out of style. The only thing that was missing from this daily dose of 'The morning report with Ben and foxie friend' was the constant doughnut that appeared under one of the cheetah's puffy cheeks. It was typically on one side but today it wasn't there.

 _Huh... maybe he found it this time?_ Nick checked again, placing his paw on the counter when his friend put down his cereal and leaned over to greet him. _Oh wait, I see it. Right cheek this time._

"Good mornin' Nick!" the bubbly cheetah squealed, his cheek fur bouncing with every word and wave.

Nick chuckled, tapping his paw on the desktop and avidly searching around. "Mornin' Spots. Have you seen my second pair of ears yet, or are they just hiding from me?"

It usually took Clawhauser a moment to catch on to Nick's witty banter. A cheetah he was, but he didn't run mental marathons.

Propping his elbows up and swishing his tail, the cheetah guessed, "The ones you wore on Halloween? Didn't the chief confiscate those because you got them stuck in the vents?"

Nick smiled. " _Almost_ had them confiscated. And that was Christmas." he corrected. "But I'm talking about the other- _other_ pair of ears. Y'know Carr- Judy."

The use of her nickname was something generally between just the two of them and Nick knew that. It was more relaxed around either his family or hers, but at work, he'd only address her by a formal name.

"Uh, no," Clawhauser replied, Nick stared in disbelief. "Isn't she always with you in the morning?"

He heaved a breath, "Yeah."

It couldn't have been truer; Judy and Nick were practically the ideal pair. They were together no matter what the situation was. Whether in their shared cubicle to research and joke around, on patrol in one of the many ecosystems, getting lunch, or even their synched off days. The one constant of their work had been each other.

"She, uh... may have snuck into the bullpen?"

Nick's ears perked up from the short reply. _Okay. Not returning calls, didn't see me at all, and didn't talk to Ben? Oh yeah... Judy's mad._

No matter the reason, Judy hadn't failed to speak to Ben in the morning. Running behind in clocking in? She would make time to even say a simple hello. Feeling a little under the weather? Take some Zasprin and say a quick hello. Caught a perp just before hours? Book them and ask about the newest Gazelle music.

And that was the thing about their relationship with Clawhauser. He was a warm welcome and reprieve to the many hard-working mammals there, so to ignore him and head anywhere else was troubling. Even the chief didn't mind hanging around him, especially when one of his favourite songs was playing.

Nick offered a worried smirk and nodded. "Thanks, Benny. You have a pastry taking a nap by the way."

Trailing off and pacing to the bullpen and hearing Clawhauser squeal from the found doughnut, Nick felt tense. If not for the atmosphere masking his own thoughts and being a literal shield to his hesitation, he may have come off as a nervous; he still held his smile, if only a little.

Down the long hall that held the place where he'd assuredly see the bunny and face his imminent demise, he chose to look at his phone again.

7:54 AM

The screenshot that contained the time had stared back at him. It was an image of him and Judy that was _supposed_ to be a selfie. Instead of allowing the fox to simply snap the picture, she had practically tackled him several times. Though it was a jump scare and a half to have the bunny put him in a headlock, he couldn't have been happier when the picture was finally taken. Her wide smile and bright amethyst eyes matched his smug, emerald-eyed expression. They looked good together, or so he heard a few mammals say when they saw it.

While he yet grasped at the memory, he failed to look forward, awkwardly bumping muzzle first into a flash of blue and auburn. The second he tasted the faintest hint of a coppery undertone as well as the few strands of fiber on his tongue, he knew who he had run into. Well, almost knew. It was a 50/50 chance and he hoped he ran into-

"Watch where you're goin', fox!"

-definitely the wrong one. He mentally prepared himself for a riled up conversation as he shook his head. _Why couldn't it have been Oates?_

Blinking, he saw before him a Rhim's gazelle; not much taller than your average fox, but also not the mammal Nick would rather see. Eugene (Gene for short) Reiner was a rather fickle figure around him. Always pointing his hooves in blame, muttering snide comments about the credibility of a fox, phrasing things in a way that made predators seem like a problem, and had a 'holier than thou' attitude.

It had been brought to the chief's attention once in the few months he had worked in the precinct. Neither he nor Judy could have imagined that the frosted glass of his door would shatter from just his boisterous voice. He heard that the repairs came out of Gene's paycheck.

All in all, Nick never let it get to him. Especially when his brother Robert Reiner (A much taller reindeer who went by Rudolph for kicks and giggles) was typically around - standing behind him with a cup of coffee in his hooves, currently.

Though Nick could never tell whether it was by adoption or by their parents that they were brothers, he had come to know their dynamic well. Rob had, since the day he transferred from Precinct 2 in December, been polite and considered every ZPD officer a part of his family. When he had gained some leeway and knew the ropes, he had asked the chief to bring his little brother onboard when he graduated.

Since then, the duo had been a good pair whether investigating or doing general office work. They were no Clawhauser named 'WildeHopps', but they worked well together.

Nick faked a gasp, his paws hovering on either side of his muzzle. "You know, I don't find a buck and some spare change on the ground too often these days. Must be my lucky day." As Robert chuckled, Nick gave a quick salute and wink. He had often teased Gene as he was on the spectrum for the Mammal Inclusion Initiative. This never went unnoticed as the gazelle grit his teeth.

"You got some nerve callin' me short, Wilde. You miss your glasses today?"

Nick shrugged. "I guess I'll have to put that on my Christmas list this year." He said with a wink.

The reindeer chuckled, "You know that's only for good boys and girls, right?"

"Hey, I was good last year."

"Wolfard didn't seem to believe so."

"That's because he's a terrible gift giver."

"What'd he get you again?"

"... A box of spaghetti noodles..."

It took only a second for the large cervine to double over in laughter at the fox's present. Nick had recalled how terrible a gift he thought it was, but came to know Wolford's sense of humor far more than he had hoped to at the Christmas party over Secret Santa. And though he didn't originally like it, he couldn't say that he didn't enjoy dinner that night. He even kept the box.

Through the laughter, he heard impatient tapping. Eugene coughed into his hooves. "We gotta clock in."

After catching a glance of the belittling look that the gazelle gave him, Nick watched him hastily make his way down the hall, Robert sighed and leaned down. "Sorry about him," he apologized. "I know who's getting a gift from the Krampus this year rather than 'ol big bro."

Nick had to smirk at that. It was the little things in life that made his day often. Speaking of-

"Hey. Have you seen the little bitty bunny bouncing around this morning?"

"Judy?" the buck questioned, standing back up and scratching the nape of his neck. Though Nick would never openly admit it, it was funny to see the mammal puzzled. Much like him, Rudolph had taken an interest in the detective role. They had discussed what kind of hat they'd wear hypothetically, and they agreed fedoras were in. Albeit the buck would have a hard time getting one to fit from fall through winter.

He shrugged. "'Fraid not. Isn't she always with you?"

Nick deflated. "Yeah..."

Again, he wondered, did he really mess up that bad? He had done plenty to anger her, but when they parted ways, he apologized and she even smiled on the way back home. His question, however, echoed beyond his words.

There was a huff of a breath that caught his attention, "What'd you do this time?"

If anything, Nick could give credit to the buck for his work in interrogation. He smirked. "I gave her the performance of a lifetime."

He scoffed, "Sounds like you'll have that on your headstone."

Before the fox could get another word in edgewise, Rudolph pointed down the hall. "Hate to break it to you, but we both gotta get to the pen before ours say 'Don't Care'."

His ears pinning themselves down in reaction, Nick quickly composed himself and pressed on.

Seeing that he was trailing the reindeer, he readied a joke, but it died on the tip of his tongue when a hoof was pointed his way.

"Wilde, if I hear one joke about me leading your sleigh today, I'll tell the chief who it was that broke the toaster _and_ set the Ficus on fire at the same time."

With his tongue rolling back in his muzzle, Nick lightly coughed and forcibly kept silent. It was a well-kept secret that he wanted to _keep_ secret, even when the donation pool was started for the new items and he pitched in the most.

Having the threat of exposure over his head, the todd didn't feel as though he'd make it out of the bullpen with fur should Bogo know about it.

He veered away for a moment to clock in at the kiosk halfway down the hall. Usually, it would be him and Judy standing there with coffee in their paws and admiring some new facet of the city or whatnot. However, today, as she wasn't anywhere in sight, all he could think of was how he was going to apologize for all he had done.

The promise of lunch came to mind.

 _Okay, so I'll have to get her that order, profusely apologize, never do that again, and hope she doesn't keep me out from movie night._

Clocked in at a minute before the morning meeting started, Nick raced down the hallway. He could put his stuff in his locker later, but he didn't want to have disciplinary action taken upon him again.

As many times as he had been to work, he had to stand on the tip of his toes to reach the door handle. No matter how often it was requested by him and Judy, not everyone left the door ajar to make their lives even a little easier.

When he padded his way in with his smug grin leading him, the general ruckus of his colleagues assaulted his ears.

Tables resounded with a beat of their own, chairs kept sliding to and fro from arm wrestling matches, a few paper airplanes whizzed above him and he heard Johnson roar when one caught him in the eye.

The Reiner brothers were seated and idly chatting with Rhinowitz. He could hear a bit of their conversation, something involving burnt toast. Casually glancing up at the two, he was met with a sneer and shooing from Gene.

It didn't matter, to him it was home. Well, almost home. He composed himself and rounded his way to the shared, oversized chair that he and Judy kept at the front of the room.

They never sat with anyone else; not that they could anyway, they'd be crushed otherwise. But their seat was their place in the ZPD, nobody dared to take it from them out of sheer respect. Though Nick also had the feeling that they were somewhat terrified should they try to fight the world's toughest bunny.

Smiling when the orange padding came into his view as he dodged a falling coffee cup, Nick readied his apology. "Alright, Hopps, I know you're mad. Lunch is still on me so I hope you'rrr-"

He stopped, drawling out the last words of his sentence as an empty seat welcomed him. With a brow raised, he cast a worried gaze at the rhino seated beside it, all he got was his typical grunt of a welcome from McHorn.

 _Okay. She didn't return any of my calls, didn't speak to Clawhauser, and isn't on time? Something's not right here. Is she out sick? No, she would have called and she's never sick… is she asleep?_

He tapped his foot, analyzing the situation. Perhaps too much, perhaps too little, either way, Judy wasn't anywhere in sight.

On the verge of asking - attempting in this case, McHorn was never interested in his antics - where his partner was, the door ahead of them opened. Their large, imposing buffalo of a chief stamped in.

With the room silenced by Higgins as it usually was, Nick hastily scampered into his seat. Now standing at attention, he felt his hackles raise when Bogo took his place at the podium only to stare at him and the blank seat with a chastising gaze.

If Bogo didn't already look overbearingly angry nearly every morning, then the look that Nick got from him this time could liquify steel. He was glad when the chief scanned the room and huffed at everyone still attempting to make some sort of conversation.

In seconds, not even a light cough could be heard. He opened the few files he brought with him, ordering them as he put his glasses on.

"Alright, now that I can see all the officers that are _absent_ ," Nick cringed from the way he Bogo phrased the sentence. "Their _present_ partners will stay behind after assignments are given."

 _Thanks Carrots. You being asleep got me in trouble. You are out sleeping, right?_

Bogo turned a page. "As you are all aware, Officer Mabel will be retiring next month. With her having worked for the ZPD for the better part of sixty years, far past her retirement and far harder than some of you, we'll be holding a party in her honour on her final day. Any and all officers available should attend to congratulate her.

"That said, we'll be the meter maid position will be held open more often for all officers. No exceptions. And those of you who are late or not seated, like Officer Wilde," Nick narrowed his eyes, the room erupted in laughter. "Will be first on the list of rotations."

As the chief began to divvy them up for the day, Nick thought about how Judy even slept through roll.

 _Neighbours keeping her up all night?_ It was possible, Bucky and Pronk were too loud for their own good.

"Assignments."

 _Too much pizza kept her awake?_ Unlikely, she was a very fit, very active rabbit.

"Grizzoli, Higgins, Pennington. Rainforest: routine road maintenance."

 _Did her parents call her too late?_ He was there a few times to talk to Bonnie and Stu when they were still up at around 11. It was always great when they sent her care packages and put extra blueberries in just for him.

"Snarlov, Johnson, McHorn. Tundra Town: prison escort."

 _Late shopping?_ She did say that she ran out of those easily burnable microwave dinners she had. There was that corner market that sold them, but she didn't like that place too much.

"DelGato, Jackson, Trunkaby. Sahara Square: Palm investigation detail."

… _Maybe she went to bed ticked off at me?_ With the call he received not going to voicemail the night before, it was the most obvious probability.

"All the rest of you with partners, continue with your previous patrols and cases. Dismissed!"

Through the mixed sound of chairs being abandoned and shuffling towards the door, Nick tried to wrap his head around Judy's punctuality. It was unbecoming of her, yet he couldn't help but feel as though it was his fault. Without his partner there, he was bound to receive a heavier workload on top of having to take up parking duty.

Looking around the mostly vacant room, the fox was surprised that he wasn't the only officer without a partner. The other two officers staring at the chief were Fangmeyer and Wolfovitz. He could surmise why the tigress was there alone with a calm, casual air about her, but the nervously smiling white wolf baffled him.

Bogo stepped around from the podium. He heaved a heavy sigh and addressed them. "Officers Fangmeyer, Wolfovitz, and Wilde. Where are your partners?"

Nick bit his lip, he knew better than to go first, even with Bogo focusing on him. He cast a pleading glance towards the tigress; her sorrowful eyes never met his.

"Sir, I told Wolfard to stay home today," she answered, Nick grimaced, Vitz cringed, Bogo didn't flinch.

"I take full responsibility for the decision, but I can't have him tired and distracted. If possible, can we place him on desk duty? You know... for safety reasons?"

Nick couldn't say much in light of Wolford nowadays. His previous charm and demeanor all but vanished over the passing months. Only Fangmeyer could really get through to him.

Bogo nodded and shifted to his next target. "Officer Wolfovitz?"

The white wolf cowed before the chief's stare. "I... don't know?"

He gave a timid laugh and Nick could see him take sneaking peaks at the door to the atrium. More and more, that partner of his showed his true colours.

"Well when you do know, tell that hyena he's going to be wearing that meter maid uniform for the rest of his life, or he's fired!"

Though aimed more so at the missing canid, Bogo let every Officer know: don't anger him.

Finally, and with an air of trepidation to it, Bogo's glower landed on Nick. As if expecting sass all he did was raise his brow in waiting.

Nick slowly smiled, thinking of a way out. _That door's lookin' pretty good right now. Maybe if he just-_

"Well, Wilde?"

 _Nope, he's not blind._ He shrugged. "Well, sir. I must say, first of all, your horn wax looks top notch today-

"If I hear _any more_ _sass_ , you'll be on parking duty in Tundra Town for the rest of the year. With or without Hopps!"

It wasn't often that Nick couldn't control his emotion, or showed that he still had any. But his tail had a mind of its own, shielding him and finding its way into his paws without delay.

Not wanting that outcome, he answered. "Sir, I'm not sure, but I think she may be asleep."

The towering buffalo literally lurched forward while light gasps from the others danced across the tables.

"Hopps? Asleep?" They all shouted, unable to register any part of the idea.

Nick could barely believe it either. "Well, she didn't call out, and I didn't hear from her at all this morning. She may have overslept for once," Bogo's blank face was all that Nick needed to smile. And with a salute he asked, "Permission to drag her out of bed by her ears, sir?"

The room was silent then. Bogo's scrunched muzzle told wonders to the fox that he wasn't as ticked as usual. Maybe about a solid 7/10 this time. He had often been lenient with him and Judy, and he could tell that this was one of those times; besides, Judy was never late.

He grunted. "Fangmeyer, Wolfovitz. You two are to escort Officer Wilde to Hopps' apartment. After which, you four will report back to my office for a little chat. Dismissed!"

As he walked away and slammed the door behind him, none of them felt comfortable. Bogo was a strict disciplinarian - though not a cruel taskmaster - and the least they would get from the 'little talk' would be snow white fur and tinnitus. Either way, Nick was off the hook… at least until he came back with a sleepy bunny.

"Alright Wilde," said Fangmeyer, already getting up from her chair and stretching. "What'd you do to Hopps this time?."

Nick coughed. "Me?"

"Oh come on, Nick. I know you," She pressed, hearing the cackles of the wolf and closing the distance between her and the vulpine. When she was standing above him and smiling, she clicked a claw on the table. "You did something that kept her up all night _again,_ and now we're all gonna have to dye our fur after the pep talk."

True that he had done that before: keeping Judy awake until nearly two in the morning about this and that. She eventually cut him off and still woke him up, it was hard to tell who was kicking and screaming that morning.

He mock gasped and placed a paw over his heart, it fluttered when his paw pad grazed the metal. "Is it so hard to believe that I was being a model citizen?"

She rolled her eyes. "A model citizen that can't keep a car in between two lines?"

The wolf's laughter grew louder, he was almost at the volume of his awol hyena partner.

Nick scoffed and folded his arms. "I can drive, you know."

"Right into a mailbox doesn't count," she informed, forcing him to tap his foot against the seat padding while she thumbed over to the nearly howling canid. "And neither you nor Vitz here are allowed to touch my baby."

Knowing that he couldn't argue there from his record - and the fact that she'd have his tail should he even attempt to touch her vehicle - he shrugged. "Fine. But, if we're gonna ride the 'bowgun', then I call shotgun."

He mocked pot shots between her ears before hopping down and out of the way of the befuddled feline. The glimpse of her upturned muzzle let him know that she still hadn't got what it meant. He'd leave her guessing.

And with the flicker of his tail and a pep in his step, Nick flashed a smile. Every thought of his turned to how much of a surprise Judy was in for when he showed up to wake her up for once.

 _Looks like this fox gets to pluck Carrots of bed for breakfast._

* * *

 **And to be there with you was the greatest adventure.**

* * *

 **[A/N]**

Huge thanks to Jknight97 for his help in editing this.

The incredible artwork was drawn by TheWinterBunny

And OMG! I know it's been almost a year, right? Well… year(n) no more because this is back! There are a few things I want to say about this story, but currently can't yet, spoilers and whatnot.

 **[FF Review Responses]**

TortillaOverlord: Same. More shall happen soon (working on chapter 3)

oopjeoiwj0: Awww... thanks. I've been meaning to update this one, so there's more around the corner.

wildetrashbag: Wait no more! There be more over yonder corner. XD

Sergeant Sargent II: Oh she's not playing... We'll see what's become of her in the upcoming chapter.

KOakaKO: Yeah, this fell out for a while as I LITERALLY had no clue on how to begin the chapter. I sat there for a few months etching it out and finally, after writing some other stuff, I found what I wanted in it. Prepare for an emotional rollercoaster of a thrilling story.

WolfofAvalon: Absolutely. XD

 **[Trivia and Notes]**

I've hidden a lot of subtle hints at things peppered throughout this and the previous chapter, and even two songs! One, at the beginning of chapter 2 is blatantly obvious, the other, in chapter 1 is not so obvious (certain time and varying lyrics depending on translation).

I can't say what that song is (yet) as it's too crucial to the story. XD

 **[Other Sites]**

fanfiction:

~dancinglunarwolves

deviantart: [snippet exclusive]

dancinglunarwolves

archiveofourown:

users/DancingLunarWolves/works

If you liked this story and have time please post a review, and if you would like to keep up with the story please fav or follow. Questions, comments, concerns, feel free to message me about anything. If you'd like updates, please check the profile page and or message me.

Till Next Time

 **-DLW**


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